Children at the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital were welcomed by a very special visitor on 4 December. Taking time out of his busy schedule ahead of Christmas, Santa Claus himself flew all the way from Rovaniemi, Lapland courtesy of the Brighton Fringe team and the Embassy of Finland.
Santa spent the morning greeting children and handing out presents from his homeland, including Moomin story books and Finnish emoji colouring books. He then made his way down to Brighton Palace Pier to meet with children from Hill Park and St Joseph’s Primary School, joined by Finnish Ambassador Paivi Luostarinen, Brighton & Hove Mayor Dee Simson, and CEO of Brighton Fringe, Julian Caddy.
Footage of Santa Claus Meeting Children at Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital courtesy of ITV Meridian
One of Santa’s little helpers explained why Santa would be making this special visit to Brighton:
“We have been listening to the whispers, hence we are bringing Santa Claus to Brighton to bring joy to children and adults alike. Santa is the genuine symbol of goodwill and giving all over the world. He radiates warmth and inspires confidence. Santa Claus is everyone’s friend and treats all humans and animals equally. He wants to help the children of the world and to teach everyone how to care for one another.”
Brighton Fringe would like to take the time to thank our friends at the Finnish Institute in London and the Embassy of Finland for helping us to bring some Christmas cheer to children across Brighton & Hove.
